This week, Brazil and France signed an agreement to combat illegal gold mining in the Amazon. The actions seek to combat cross-border crimes and include tracking the origin of the mineral extracted both in Brazil and in French Guiana, an overseas territory of France, in South America.
The agreement has three main axes:
- Cooperation within the scope of the Ouro Alvo program;
- Cooperation within the scope of the Brasil MAIS program (Integrated and Safe Environment);
- Joint operations to combat organized crime on both sides of the border.
The Ouro Alvo program analyzes the physical-chemical signature of a metal sample and relates the data to its geological origin. In this way, the information acquired can help in the fight against money laundering, environmental crimes and other crimes linked to .
The program in Brazil is under the responsibility of the Federal Police (PF), which may be received in French Guiana to analyze gold extracted in the neighboring territory, and vice versa.
Samples extracted on French territory will be made available to Brazilian authorities to be analyzed and registered in the international bank of gold profiles of the National Institute of Criminalistics of the Federal Police, for example.
Countries must also send reports to each other and inform each other of the identification of possible gold mined in the territory of the other State.
The Brasil MAIS program is mapping software for monitoring the Amazon forest through the automatic analysis of satellite images. Brazil will receive delegations from the French side on technical visits to present and use the program.
Regarding police cooperation, the agreement provides that the competent authorities must meet, at least once a month, at the Saint Georges-de-l`Oyapock Police Cooperation Center or at police cooperation centers in Brazil to exchange information information on actions against illegal mining and related criminal activities.
A special point of attention goes to boats and planes involved in transporting gold, mercury, cyanide or other products used in gold mining.
There are also plans for coordinated operations between countries on both sides of the border.
In meetings last year, presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and Emmanuel Macron had already been discussing actions in this regard.
The document of this agreement is seven pages long and was signed in Paris by the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Ricardo Lewandowski, and the Minister of the Interior of France, Bruno Retailleau. It will be valid for four years and may be renewed.
